Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso on Friday confirmed that he is set to leave the German club at the end of the season. “We can let you know that this week the club and I, we have agreed that these two games are going to be my last two games as a Bayer Leverkusen coach,” Alonso told reporters.
The 43-year-old’s stock has soared after guiding Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title without a single loss, along with the German Cup in his first full season with the club last year. This season, Bayer is on course to finishing second in the league after Bayern Munich, who clinched the title last week.
“I owe great thanks to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, my players and staff, all the employees of the club and last but not least the fantastic fans. Our success was the result of an outstanding team performance,” he was quoted in an official release by the club.
After almost two-and-a-half years, and during the most successful period in the club’s history, our head coach, , will leave at the end of the season.
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en)
“This club, who showed exceptional trust in me, very much deserved to win the German league title for the first time. My thanks and admiration go to everybody who helped to make this triumph happen including the DFB Pokal win in Berlin. Bayer 04 are ready for the future. The positive path will continue and I will be excited to follow it,” he added.
Alonso, a Champions League winner with Real and a World Cup hero with Spain, began his coaching journey with Real Madrid’s youth teams before rising through the ranks at Real Sociedad B. Since taking over a struggling Leverkusen side in October 2022, he’s transformed them into one of Europe’s most feared outfits, losing just once in 53 matches last season.
There have been recent rumours that the Spaniard could succeed Carlo Ancelotti as the next coach of Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have already been eliminated from the Champions League this season while they are now in a close La Liga title race against Barcelona.
